Sharpener for veneer knife

Abstract

A sharpening tool for a veneer knife has a primary stone and a secondary stone driven by a power head. The secondary stone is inclined at an angle to the primary stone corresponding to the angle of the defined faces of the veneer knife cutting edge. Outrigger supports are provided as gauge and guide members for the sharpening tool. The primary stone engages one face of the cutting edge and the secondary stone engages the other face of the cutting edge. The secondary stone is forcibly engaged with the primary stone and is rotatably driven by the primary stone.

The invention claimed is:  
     
       1. A sharpener for sharpening an elongate knife edge defining an edge angle comprising: 
       a power head, a primary rotary sharpening stone that is disk shaped having a front side defining a front and a back side defining a back and an axis defining a center of rotation, said primary sharpening stone rotatably driven by the power head;  
       a bracket secured to the power head at the back of the primary sharpening stone and extended around said primary sharpening stone to the front of the primary sharpening stone;  
       a secondary sharpening stone that is disk shaped and is rotatably mounted to the bracket at the front of the primary sharpening stone, said secondary sharpening stone having a peripheral surface engaging the front side of the primary sharpening stone and rotatably driven around an axis of rotation by said primary sharpening stone;  
       said bracket, said secondary sharpening stone, and said primary sharpening stone cooperatively configured to define a primary sharpening surface and a secondary sharpening surface that intersects to define an angle mated to the edge angle of the knife edge.  
     
     
       2. A sharpener as defined in claim  1  wherein the sharpening surfaces are porous for absorbing and dispensing a sharpening slurry applied during a sharpening process. 
     
     
       3. A sharpener as defined in claim  2  wherein the sharpening stones are cast iron which material defines the porous surfaces. 
     
     
       4. A sharpener as defined in claim  1  wherein said front side of said primary sharpening stone has a center inset defining an inset surface and a rim surface, said inset surface being the surface engaged by the peripheral surface of said secondary sharpening stone and said rim surface being the primary sharpening surface. 
     
     
       5. A sharpener as defined in claim  4  wherein the primary sharpening surface and the secondary sharpening surface define intersecting planes that intersect along the knife edge during a sharpening process. 
     
     
       6. A sharpener as defined in claim  1  wherein a support rod extends laterally from the bracket above the knife edge and an outrigger defining a knife edge engaging surface is superimposed over the knife edge during a sharpening process. 
     
     
       7. A sharpener as defined in claim  2  wherein a pair of support rods carrying outriggers extend laterally in opposite directions from the bracket. 
     
     
       8. A sharpener as defined in claim  7  wherein a gauge member is adjustably secured to the support rod and forms a part of said outrigger of each of said outriggers and further provides a knife edge engaging surface, said gauge members adjusted to a position of close adjacency to the knife edge.